Dear Michelle McNamara: You Almost Had the Golden State Killer

You were so close, Michelle. You almost had him.

The Golden State Killer (aka the East Area Rapist; aka the Original Nightstalker) was apprehended in April 2018, two years after Michelle McNamara died from an accidental drug overdose. Without this woman’s passionate and, yes, obsessive research, where would this case have been?

She coined the name the Golden State Killer, worked with Paul Holes (the man responsible for finding the GSK), and even wrote the book you see here, which was published posthumously.

Let me give you a few mind-blowing facts about Joseph DeAngelo, the Golden State Killer:

· It took 44 years to find the right guy.

· During those 44 years, detectives sorted through 8,000 suspects.

· This unidentified man committed at least 13 murders, more than 50 rapes, and over 100 burglaries in California from 1974 to 1986.

· Deadbolts and gun sales went up, and women kept hunting knives under their pillows. People nailed their windows shut. They were terrified of the East Area Rapist (EAR).

· In 1975, he switched from ransacking to murder. He shot a girl’s dad twice. Two years prior? He was married to a woman named Sharon. That’s right: The ransacking, rapes, and murders were going on while he was married.

· He was in the navy and fought in the Vietnam War. Michelle (and others on the case) believed the Golden State Killer had to have experience in the military due to the way he had his victims tie up their spouses. Michelle originally thought he was in the air force. Again, she was so close.

· He was an ex-cop. Another fact that Michelle had considered often. He was on the anti-burglary task force as a sergeant. This allowed him insight into burglaries; he was getting better at his crimes despite being a “mediocre cop.”

· He divorced in 1991, about 5 years after the crimes stopped.

· He is 73 years old right now.

· During his filmed arraignment, he’s in a wheelchair and his voice can barely be heard above a whisper. However, that’s clearly a ruse — he often drove 100 mph on his motorcycle and went fishing, acting like a 50-year-old.

As I read this book, as I watched a documentary, and as I fell deep, deep into the internet abyss, I found myself asking these questions:

· How does a sick and twisted serial killer have a wife, three daughters, and grandkids?

· Why did DeAngelo stop murdering in 1986 and just go about life as normal? He went on fishing trips and worked as a mechanic. He had friends and a life.

· During one of the rapes, he broke down sobbing and said, “I hate you, Bonnie!” Who was Bonnie and why did he hate her?

· One man stood up at a community meeting and proclaimed that the EAR wouldn’t attack a woman when the husband was at home. Then he and his wife were attacked by the EAR himself. How did he know? Was it happenstance?

Now that I’ve had time to think, I would like to offer my opinion on these questions:

· How did Ted Bundy, the “world’s nicest guy,” do what he did? Because he was pure evil. And so is the Golden State Killer. He’s a sociopath. This is why I can’t stress enough that just because someone is “nice” or “funny” or “cool” doesn’t mean he’s not capable of heinous crimes. Somehow, the Golden State Killer was able to lead a double life very well.

· According to psychologists, a serial killer can’t just stop cold turkey. I don’t believe the Golden State Killer was done in 1986. I believe as more evidence comes forward, we’ll find out he’s responsible for more than the 13 murders and 50 rapes.

· DeAngelo was engaged to a woman named Bonnie before he married Sharon. But the sobbing and the meltdowns? Those were meant to throw off detectives, and it worked.

· DeAngelo had to have been attending those community meetings about himself. Like any killer, he’s a narcissist. He wants to bask in the glory of his “accomplishments.” For him to kill that couple shows me he was planted right there among them all, listening carefully.

If you’ve studied this case before, then lend me your thoughts! Do you think he stopped killing and raping in 1986? Do you think there’s any reason to believe DeAngelo, caught through DNA and an ancestry website, isn’t our guy?

Grab Michelle McNamara’s book: https://amzn.to/2Zmo9Is

An expert editor, seasoned writer, and author-centric marketer, Shayla Raquel works one-on-one with authors and business owners every day. A lifelong lover of books, she has edited over 400 books and has launched several Amazon bestsellers for her clients. Her award-winning blog teaches new and established authors how to write, publish, and market their books. She is the author of the Pre-Publishing Checklist, The Rotting (in Shivers in the Night), and The Suicide Tree. In her not-so-free time, she acts as organizer for the Yukon Writers’ Society, volunteers at the Oklahoma County Jail, and obsesses over squirrels. She lives in Oklahoma with her dogs, Chanel, Wednesday, and Baker. Learn more at ShaylaRaquel.com.